


Heart's a Mess

by garlude



Series: as much as i like you [2]
Category: Les Schtroumpfs | The Smurfs
Genre: Character Development, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-20 15:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17025456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garlude/pseuds/garlude
Summary: In attempts to adjust to this new mindset, Brainy doesn't know what hit him. Only that it's comfortable to be around Clumsy.Though, he doesn't really get that, either.





	1. Chapter 1

After it was dark, and Papa and Smurfette had fallen asleep, Brainy could not.

Staring at the tent walls, he listens. To the wind outside, brushing against the tree branches. To the scurry of animals in the forest, to Clumsy's soft breathing beside him.

He shares the light blanket with him. God only knows why Brainy'd brought two of them and a pillow, and the whole tent, instead of sleeping bags.

Clumsy wasn't even using the other one.

Without getting up, he reaches over to his bag and pulls out the second blanket, careful not to disturb his companion.

He lightly drapes it over the both of them and slips back under.

Brainy closes his eyes.

Shifting.

Of himself, and of his friend.

"Clumsy," he whispers. "Are you awake...?"

No response.

He's about to turn over on his side when Clumsy suddenly presses against him, head to his chest and arms now wrapped around his middle. Brainy can't see his face in the dark, but almost gasps at the contact.

"Oh...!"

Clumsy nuzzles him, holding him closer. He might as well be softer and warmer than the extra blanket…

They'd had a long day, he was too tired to ask anymore.

Brainy wraps his arms around Clumsy, and drifts off to sleep.

  
*

  
The sunlight hits his face, through the window of his own home. He blinks, shrugging away under the familiar blankets.

It was an empty feeling now, without Clumsy.

 

Where to start...


	2. Chapter 2

 *

Papa would sometimes say that the smurflings asked him exactly as many questions as when they were children the first time around.

Brainy asked even more at their age, to the point that it got overwhelming. Many went unanswered. And, at some point, he'd decided he knew it all.

Which everyone figured was worse.

 

The village is abustle, with smurfs moving to and fro in search of ingredients. With the Feast of Plenty so close now, some of the smurfs cooking last minute hurry themselves, nearly crashing into each other.

Brainy resists the urge to say anything.

He knows Papa Smurf had told everyone to start taking it easy, but Papa had told _him_ to lay off on the advice, too. Whatever he did, he felt guilty. It seems to create a bit of tension between Brainy and the other smurfs. Walking by, they eye him, expecting him to still critique their choice of ingredients or even decorations. He notices them relax when he remains silent. It did look as if he would, standing in the midst of it all, eyes flicking back and forth from one side of the busy village to the other.

They were doing it all wrong, weren't they?

It almost hurt. Almost. Even getting kicked around would feel better than not helping at all. How else would the they get things done or be reminded to stop slacking? Smurfs like Lazy needed that reminder, and he was willing to give it.

He had else nothing to do in preparation. Brainy didn't usually participate in the event, after all. Was this really for his own good?

He feels a hand on his shoulder and jumps. Papa, behind him, is just as startled.

"Oh, you... you _scared_ me!" Brainy exclaims.

"Brainy," Papa says. "I need you for something. Go around and see how every smurf doing for me."

Brainy blinks. "But... Papa Smurf! I thought you said I shouldn't be doing that..." As much respect that he had for Papa Smurf, he couldn't seem to make up his mind!

He looks a bit tired.

“I only meant you shouldn't get carried away with it, Brainy. You'd like more responsibility, yes?"

Brainy brings his hands together in excitement. "Oh yes, Papa Smurf, you have no idea!"

"I knew you would say that," he chuckles. "Go check on how our Feast of Plenty is doing. You wouldn't mind bringing back the smurflings to me either, would you?"

 

Sassette bounces around the room. "Ooh, leapin' lizards, Greedy, can we smurf in the flour? It's just like snow!" The bag tips over, and she can't pick it back up. "Can we, can we?"

"Uh, I'd rather you not, I need it for the cake! You can help with that though, if you'd like," he offers.

"Smurfaroo, I've never baked a cake before!" Sassette says. "What are we making? There's all kinds of cakes, right? Is it gonna take long? Snappy and Nat are gonna be back later, and they like smurfberry cake with the white icing and strawberries!"

"Yeah, could we make a smurfberry cake like that?" Slouchy pitches in.

"Well--"

The door opens with a bang.

Brainy flinches at his own commotion, and shrinks a bit when everyone begins to stare.

"Brainy? What're you doin' here?" Sassette asks.

His arms are behind his back, head high as he walks around to the counter. "Well, if you must know, Sassette, I'm supervising--"

"That's nothing new," Greedy comments.

He raises his finger. "--on _account_ of Papa Smurf! He asked me personally to see how everyone is doing in regard to the Feast of Plenty. What are you three making?"

"A cake," Slouchy tells him. She sits upon the counter.

"Hm, particularly ordinary for you, Greedy Smurf," Brainy mutters. He scribbles something on his notepad. "I take it all is going well. So, smurflings, follow me. Papa Smurf wants to see you."

"But Slouchy just said we're--"

"You always can make a cake later, Sassette. This isn't so interesting anyway. Besides, you can ask _me_ anything you'd like while we head to Papa Smurf! I know just as much as Greedy does."

Greedy raises an eyebrow. "Do you?"

"Well, I mean..."

An idea pops into Greedy's head.

"If you know so much, why don't you do it for me? I could use a break.”

“You're tired after just one little cake?”

“Actually, it's for the thirty-layer smurfberry upside-down cake."

Brainy gasps. "Thirty-layer smurfberry upside— Greedy, are you out of your  _smurf?"_

He sets an elbow on the counter. "'Course I'm not! I bet you know every little detail about bakin' cakes already, huh? Might as well gather the ingredients yourself. You'd know where to find everything."

"I-I would?"

"Oh, yeah. Six dozen eggs, fifteen bags of flour, twenty, maybe thirty more bags of sugar for all that icing, you know the rest. Then around a week or so to bake all those layers. Put ‘em together, and there ya go! That's gotta be nothing for you, though, isn't that right, master chef Brainy?"

Beside him, the smurflings try to conceal their laughter. Part of them wonder if Greedy really would be ambitious enough to try that. He looks innocently at Brainy, who grips his head at the thought of preparing so much. In so little time? Greedy truly was out of his smurf.

"When can ya start?"

"I-I couldn't possibly before... That's far too much for anysmurf to--"

Along with the childen's slipping laughter, Brainy notices Greedy's awful grin and finally catches on, the realization like a slap in the face.

"Ohh! Just a little game, is it?" Brainy growls. With a huff, he turns towards the door ."Smurflings, let's _go!_ "

They exchange looks.

"Uh, see ya later, Greedy!"

He waves to the children, and they follow a frustrated Brainy out of the kitchen. As always, he leads the way, and the two trail further back behind him.

"What's Papa want us for, anyway?" Slouchy asks.

Brainy's response is matter-of-fact. "He didn't tell me."

"What else doesn't he know?" Sassette giggles to her friend. Her voice lowers. "Hey, what if we ask him some things and find out?"

Slouchy hesitates. Usually she didn't participate in teasing Brainy, preferring to stay on his good side -- he got along better with her than with the other smurflings that way. "Uh... I don't know. Maybe we should just leave him alone, so he doesn't yell at us. He doesn't seem to be in a very good mood."

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun! Here, watch. Brainy, why do the leaves change color in the fall?"

To their surprise, Brainy's face lights up instantly. They stop. "Oh? Well, it's not about baking, but I just knew you smurflings would come around eventually! That's quite simple, Sassette. Mother Nature does it with one of her four wands, but I thought you've learned that already."

"Too easy," Slouchy whispers.

"Was it?" Sassette whispers back. "Oh yeah, I did! But, um, why's the sun set at night?"

"The... the sun? That's because--"

"Have ya ever seen a squid? Do you know why they shoot all that yucky ink? Where do the storks get the baby smurfs?" Sassette continues.

"Why does Puppy keep burying everything 'round the village?" Slouchy tries.

"Why don't humans have tails?”

“And why are they so big?”

“Wait, why do we have tails? Why do monkeys get to swing around in the trees but we have these stubby little things? Why--"

“Please, one at a time, one at a time!” Brainy shouts, overwhelmed by so many questions. “Why must you all torment me today?"

“Ha, see, I knew he didn't know everything!” Sassette exclaims in triumph.

 _"What?"_ Brain _y_ takes a step back, eyes widening.

For a moment, Sassette is confused. She can't tell the emotion on his face, but he turns, rushing towards the library, and a flash of fear goes through her.

“Oh no, Slouchy, he's gonna tell on us!”

“Uh, I don't think that’s it, Sassette...”

 

When the two smurflings peek in through the door, Brainy is searching frantically through books and pulling them off their shelves in a mess.

"Brainy? You’re not--"

"Ah, ah, ah! No more questions from you! At the moment, that is."

Maybe winning the affection of his fellow smurfs would be harder than he thought, but a little reading couldn't hurt. He slams a final book on the ground, looking up at them.

“I’ll… I'll just have to learn first, won't I?” he sneers.

 


	3. Chapter 3

*

"Isn't it exciting, Clumsy? Papa Smurf is smurfing solely on _us_ for once!"

Clumsy ponders his friend's announcement. It Isn't as exciting as Brainy was making it out to be: a simple potion, one that would purify small quantities of water.

Really, he was glad with any kind of recognition at that point -- after completely forgetting his mission the other day, Papa had lectured him thoroughly on actually sticking to the tasks he'd been assigned. If he was so happy to be in charge of something, it'd be good to actually finish it. Brainy assured him he'd never let it happen again.

But, when an idea forms, sometimes you can't help but follow it.

"Uh, but we've worked on potions for Papa Smurf before, haven't we?" He recalls all the times they'd messed it up, too, which was probably why the ecstatic smurf was so eager to prove something this time.

"But the thing is," Brainy says, "it's _exclusively_ you and I. All he left was the formula, and of course all the ingredients we'll possibly need are on the shelves, we just have to pick them out. He's finally realizing I can take on this responsibility!"

"Oh, gosh!"

Brainy scans the paper left in their wake.

"Let's see... this isn't much at all. Yes, only a few things in this solution. In the near future we'll be able to do far more complicated ones."

Brainy lights the fire underneath the cauldron, stirring the the clear base around until the liquid bubbles. He checks the paper.

"First off is a teaspoon of tree sap," Brainy reads. "I figure this to begin with is directly linked to the molecules in the base – how clever of Papa Smurf!"

"Uh, right!" Clumsy rushes over with a bottle and tips out a slight of sap into the brew. It swirls around.

"And then a handful of dandelion spores."

The plants empty into the pot, and Brainy hums in satisfaction.

"See, Clumsy? Isn't this much better than having Papa Smurf over our us the entire time?" He adds the third ingredient himself over Clumsy's shoulder -- seven smurfberry seeds. "Of course, not that I don't enjoy doing experiments with him, only that it feels like sometimes he just doesn't understand my own personal methods."

"Say, what's Papa Smurf out for, again?" Clumsy asks. He'd left earlier with only instructions for Brainy, who now mixes the brew around.

"Oh, he's with Homnibus," replies Brainy. "Something about a rare ingredient on the sorcerer's market. _I_ think that if it's so rare -- a sprinkle of grounded mushroom, Clumsy -- it'd be in higher demand, so really, why risk something like that? There's bound to be criminals of some sort around."

His friend gasps at the thought. "Oh, gosh, Brainy, ya should'a told him that! Maybe it's not too late an' we can--"

"Clumsy, Clumsy, Clumsy!" Brainy laughs and grabs his hand to keep him from rushing out the door. "We have a very important potion to work on. Besides, do you really think such incredible wizards like Papa Smurf and Homnibus can't handle a few troublemakers? All I'm saying is that they shouldn't go through so much trouble for a single ingredient."

He hesitates. "D'ya really think they'll be okay? They've been gone a few hours..."

"Papa Smurf will be back shortly and see how much of a wonderful job we've done," Brainy says. "Trust me, Clumsy, they know what they're doing, and so do _I_."

"Ah... alright, Brainy. I trust ya."

He holds his gaze for a moment, before releasing his hand. "...Y-yes, well. Why don't you fetch the candle wax and dragon's breath?"

The dragon's breath is poured in first, finally giving the brew a color. Chartreuse liquid splashes around on its own, yearning for its last few ingredients.

The candle finishes heating on the table near Clumsy, coating the dish with the slow melt. Clumsy picks it up and stops.

Brainy taps his foot.

“What are you waiting for?"

"Uh, gosh, this is real hot..." The smurf winces at the wax seeping off onto his hands. He holds the tray out futher. If there was one thing that would hurt to spill on himself, it was this.

"It's good you're trying not to make a mess, you'll be fine! Just hurry up, the potion requires an immediate follow-up."

Even to him, it was odd. Any other day he'd surely run over and tip in the wax with no problem, maybe getting a bit all over himself in the process. That's just Clumsy's way, isn't it?

But he can't mess up Brainy's opportunity for recognition. It meant too much to him. He had to be careful.

His friend is growing impatient.

 _"Clumsy,_ come on, we're almost finished."

When he doesn't respond yet again, Brainy takes the candle into his own hands.

"Oh, fine then! I'll do it!" Wax flies onto the ground, but he swings the candle anyway; the entire thing is dumped into the cauldron and he resumes his spot back on the other side. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Clumsy only points to the brew emitting a light glow. "B-Brainy... I don't think you were supposed to put the whole candle in."

"...What?"

Suddenly, it ignites, and the spell finishes wrong -- combusting, it sends Clumsy flying backwards to the close wall with a crackle, and fills the air with a smog. Brainy coughs, waving away the smoke. He wipes off his glasses and notices the slouched smurf, heart racing not only because of the explosion.

"Clumsy!"

"Gosh, Brainy..." He rubs the back of his head, wincing in pain. "I'm alright."

"That explosion surely must've done some kind of damage!"

He looks around the room. Bottles had shattered, books on some of the shelves appeared to be scorched, and the potion was now ruined and splashes over the side of the cauldron.

"Oh, and Papa Smurf's lab is a mess, he... he finally decided to let me do this, and I blew it! I'm never going to be able to make potions again! Can you get up, Clumsy?"

"Golly, I think so..." He attempts to lift himself up, leaning against the wall for support.

"I-I shouldn't have... then I wouldn't have dumped the entire candle in, and Papa Smurf w-won't be mad at me for--"

Brainy tries to regain his composure. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Maybe Papa would let him help again, and send them off to fetch fresh ingredients while he cleaned up the lab and all would be fine.

Or maybe he'd take away his assistant role all together.

"Oh, this is awful... He's going to be back any minute, I know it."

"Gosh, Brainy, the human village's sure far away. I think we still have some time," Clumsy says.

"In your condition? I don't think so!"

"Well... well, uh, what if we..."

"Were careful...?" Brainy guesses.

Clumsy nods.

"I'm sorry, Clumsy," he sighs. "If only I had been in the first place. I guess I was just really excited to complete this. You don't need any bandages, do you? I've done extensive research on the art of bandaging so if you need any I'd be more than happy to, and..."

He appreciates his concern, but the most Clumsy seemed to hurt was his backside. Of course, slamming into the wall from a magical mishap would probably do that to a smurf, but he wasn't seriously injured.

Clumsy giggles. "You bein' here for me is healin' enough."

"I--"

He covers his face with his hand to obscure his grin.

While Brainy wasn't a patient man, maybe an exception could be made for his best friend.

 


	4. Chapter 4

*

This was more like it.

It seemed as if the smurf village dam was constantly in need of fixing -- whether it be from a crash, a storm, or leaks springing up, it was almost always in repair.

It took time and supervision to keep everything in track, and for once, everything was going as planned for the day. Maybe this wasn't so hard after all, with some smurfs starting to actually listen to Brainy's words.

"Alright, everysmurf! Greedy promised blueberry muffins if we get today's work done early!"

"Um, why don't you work over there with Harmony Smurf? I'm sure another smurf can handle this, but he's having a bit of trouble."

"Good job, Smurfette! A-and Hefty, you too!"

To think how different it was, when Papa Smurf's approach on the surface didn't _feel_ all so different from his own.

Of course, there was still a little of his in there.

"Vanity, Vanity, Vanity. You must be more careful!"

"Don't worry so much. You'll get wrinkles, and no one wants to see that. Besides, I've used a hammer before," the pretty smurf replies.

"Yes, but how often? You're holding it wrong. Now, you wouldn't want to hurt yourself."

Vanity shrugs and resumes his position at the stake. Fingers far too close to the top, just begging to be hit. A smurf who clearly did no sort of regular labor.

Brainy takes the hammer without objection.

"Honestly, it's such a drag doing this in the first place," Vanity whines. "I shouldn't have to do such disgusting work. Oh, and I'm sweating to death in this _awful_  sun and there's dirt just _everywhere,_ and..."

"You're not focusing, Vanity. The sooner you get this done, the sooner you can leave. But first, every smurf must do their part."

"I suppose... but why must that include me?"

_He complains more than I do..._

As Brainy places his hand under the stake, he notices a nearby Clumsy sitting alone at the edge of the river smurf. He swings the hammer, bringing it down on his own thumb.

_"Ow!"_

"Oh, good one," Vanity says. "And _I_ _'m_ the one not focusing?"

"I-I just saw... er, it was an accident! How silly of me, it actually goes like this," he chuckles, placing his hand back properly after wincing in pain.

Not convinced, Vanity peaks over in the same direction. He raises an eyebrow.

"Clumsy Smurf? Now, what's so interesting about that, Brainy?" There's a bit of teasing in his tone, but knowing Vanity, it would be better not to say much.

"W-well, I'm only wondering what he's doing over there all alone like that, when he's usually so eager to help..."

"Then go see!"

"Huh? B-but the hammering technique--!"

Vanity playfully shoves him in Clumsy's direction. "I've got it, I've got it -- thank you, goodbye!"

  
Well, at least things seemed to be going better for the dam.

  
"Clumsy..."

From on his knees, the smurf's attention shifts to his friend.

"Uh, hi, Brainy!" he beams.

"What are you doing over here?"

"Gee, I'm watchin' the rocks," Clumsy states. In front of him is a small garden of stones, rearranged in various ways. He recalls the vast collection of his.

"What? But what's there to watch? Clumsy, rocks don't do anything; they don't have limbs, and they can't talk, or..."

"But they're real neat."

He feels a strong urge to sit with him.

Clumsy pats the spot beside him, as if reading his mind.

"Y-you really just... sit and watch them?"

"Ah, yep."

A small snail crawls past through the grass, and Clumsy lets it crawl onto his hand.

"Gosh, sometimes there's visitors," he giggles. It climbs up his arm and flicks its antennae at him. "See? They're sayin' hello. They like the rocks too." He lets it down into the grass.

"Do you... name… your rocks?" Brainy suddenly asks.

Clumsy's face lights up.

"Uh, yeah! Sometimes. But then I end up forgettin' 'em all."

He reaches over to grab a rock.

"But gosh, I just love how different they all are! Like these ones always have the colors in 'em, an'  some are real smooth but then those ones over there are so bumpy! None of 'em are exactly the same!" Clumsy rambles. "Boy, I sure wish they were alive though. You remember my pet rock? I loved that pet rock, but it couldn't do any tricks or nothin' like every other pet."

Was he waiting for someone to listen to him talk about these things?

Brainy knew the feeling well.

He hands another to Brainy, who turns it around in his palm. It was a regular gray stone, really, but Clumsy looks at it with glee; his face is slightly flushed.

"That one's my favorite," he says. "You, uh... you can have it, though. I don't mind."

He chuckles. "Um... thank you, Clumsy." He brushes his thumb over it.

Clumsy brings his knees to his chest, and his smile says it all. He returns to his watching. Brainy feels like trying too.

It almost takes him elsewhere.

No more dam, no more smurf village, only Clumsy, the forest, and his rocks. It's calming, and almost meditative, in a way. The birds chirp just a bit louder, and the sun shines through the leaves just a bit more.

Even if it kinda felt like watching paint dry.

Why wasn't Clumsy working on the dam? It was unusual for him not to help. Did he mess up, causing the other smurfs to cast him aside? That wasn't exactly a seldom occurrence in the village.

But what a stark contrast, it was. Clumsy loves this simple life, while Brainy shoots for greatness in his. Clumsy was content... being.

That innocent spirit...

He'd never really understand it.

But that's what made Clumsy so interesting. So different from him, while in some ways, still so similar.

They complement each other.

Brainy knew that years ago, he looked down on Clumsy for his nature, regarding it as childish. But now Brainy only looks back at the dam, and at all the smurfs working away.

...They'd be fine without him.

Clumsy watches him from his spot. A silent curiosity.

Maybe he'd dig out some geology books...


	5. Chapter 5

*

Baby presses his colorful hands to the canvas, spreading the paint from one end to the other. He slaps it, now creating a splash of purple.

The infant's clothes are equally as dirtied, with greens on the sleeve and up his arm, covered in red and pink and now collecting everything else in the substance. He sits up, pleased with his creation when Clumsy peeks over to look.

"Gosh, Baby, whatcha got there?" he asks, reaching over to hold up the canvas. "Golly! That's just wonderful!"

Baby babbles happily at the reception.

"Brainy, look what Baby did!" Clumsy says. He lifts it in his friend's direction. Brainy rises from the stump he sat on, putting aside his book to further observe the infant's work.

He hums, squinting at it. "Indeed, Indeed. That _is_ wonderful, Baby! Painter would be very proud of you, so it's a bit unfortunate that you're going to learn to read twice as fast, isn't it? Why, by the time he has you drawing still fruit in a bowl, I think you might finish your first novel!" Brainy boasts. "Ahem, I mean, if that's what you want to do when you're a bit older."

"Uh, Brainy, how many words does he know again?"

"About five, why?"

"Uh," Clumsy giggles, "nothin'."

The painting was messy, of course, but that's what brought it charm. Painter would be proud, but it might even best what he usually creates -- despite the toddler's being an abstract spill. Brainy's standards for Baby were much, much lower.

While a few times in the past, they'd been forced to take care of the child when something important was happening, Brainy enjoys taking care of Baby on days like this. It was casual, and it left them sitting in the sun, chatting idly while they watch over the smurfling together.

He takes the artwork from Clumsy, face scrunching up from the wet sides coating his fingers with paint.

"Ah! Great, now's there's--"

The gasp behind him cuts him off. He turns to see Smurfette jogging over.

"Hiya, Smurfette!" Clumsy greets.

"Hello, Clumsy -- oh, Baby is _covered_ in paint!" The infant claps happily at her arrival, and climbs up into her arms when she kneels.

"And so am I..." Brainy whines.

"He musn't stay in these," she gestures to the white cloth, already beginning to dry. "They'll stain the fabric. Come on, let's get him into some pajamas instead, it's about time for his nap anyway."

Clumsy yawns. "Gosh, I could use a nap too. All this sun's makin' me sleepy."

 

Smurfette does the buttons up on Baby's top, tucking him in her bed's pink blankets. "There you go, all cleaned up." 

The window is open slightly, white curtains pulled back, letting in a cool, relaxing breeze and just the right amount of sunlight. Brainy paces at the side of the bed.

"Smurfette," he starts. "I appreciate it, but we can handle this ourselves, you know. It's _our_ day to take care of Baby, all this trouble simply isn't necessary."

"It's no trouble at all, Brainy," she retorts, "if you always get Clumsy to help take care of Baby, why can't I?"

"Well, that's because... Clumsy and I are partners. We tend to do a lot of things together, and that naturally extends to babysitting. That's why Papa Smurf assigned us all certain days, and put _him_ with _me."_

"My, Brainy, you're awfully insistent on this."

He crosses his arms, huffing a bit in embarrassment. "I-I'm only trying to keep things in order--"

Clumsy inturrupts them. He walks through the doorway, the fluffy pillow dragging on the ground. "Uh, gee, I only found one extra pillow. I hope that's enough." 

"It'll do just fine. Thank you." Smurfette smiles at him and places the pillow behind Baby, who sinks into it and wiggles around instead of closing his eyes. "Come on, Baby, it's bedtime," she coos.

The infant babbles.

"Uh, maybe we ought'a read him a bedtime story? That always helped me fall asleep," Clumsy suggests.

"Good idea, Clumsy!" Smurfette says. "I'll start, I have a few stories he might like! Once upon a smurf, there was a beautiful princess--"

"I doubt Baby would want to hear about princesses, Smurfette."

At his remark, all three of them go silent. Smurfette's eyebrows furrow.

"W-why, I have _experience_ with writing, so why don't you let me tell mine first," Brainy says. "Not that yours is worse by any means, only that..."

"Fine. Just tell your story then, Brainy," Smurfette says.

"Er..." He clears his throat. "O-once upon a smurf, there was an intellectual who lived alone in the woods. Everysmurf always came to him for his wisdom, as he was thought to be wiser than any other in the land--"

Brainy stops as Baby begins to wail.

"What?! I've barely started, why is he crying?"

Smurfette giggles. "I guess he doesn't want to hear about intellectuals. Let's try my story again."

He groans. Usually Baby didn't mind his tales.

 

 

While Baby was now calm, sleep would still not come to him. He crawls around the bed, squealing when Clumsy picks him up and sets him back under the covers.

"Gosh, Baby sure is rowdy today! D'ya think we'll ever get him to settle down?" asks Clumsy.

A page flip. "According to this book I borrowed from Papa Smurf, smurflings as young as Baby should be getting at least fourteen hours of sleep, but he won't even take a nap! Even after all that painting and fidgeting." He sets down _Caretaking: A Papa Smurf's Guide to Smurflings_ after reaching the final page.

"Uh, yeah, ya think he would'a tired out by now."

Smurfette clasps her hands together. "We should play a game!"

"Oh boy! What kinda game, Smurfette?" Clumsy flaps his arms slightly.

"A game?" Brainy frowns. "We have no time for a game. We should be getting Baby to bed!"

"For _Baby,_ silly. I think I have some blocks and shapes from Handy in my closet. He can play with those until he's too sleepy to play anymore," Smurfette explains.

"Right. Of course! I-it says the same thing in my book, you know..."

She opens her closet door, searching through for the toys. A few boxes of shoes and hats are pushed out of the way.

"I know I put them somewhere..." she mumbles.

Clumsy notices a red edge poke from the corner on highest shelf. "Smurfette, what about that one?"

She backs up. "Yes, that's it! Oh, but I don't think I can reach it all the way up there, even with the chair."

"Let me assist you," Brainy pipes up. As he comes over to help, Smurfette turns to him.

"You're no taller than I am, Brainy. Let's have Clumsy take care of it."

Brainy crosses his arms. Who does she think she is? Just because Clumsy is a bit taller? As if that was a particularly good thing, and not something that only added to his klutziness.

Clumsy climbs onto the chair with a wobble, and reaches for the box. He grabs it, immediately unbalancing, taking it down with him as he falls from the chair.

"Yee-ah!" he exclaims. Landing on his bottom, the contents in the box scatter over the floor in front of him.

"Oh!"

"Gosh, I'm sorry, Smurfette!" Panic flashes through him. "I didn't mean to!"

Smurfette offers him a hand. "Don't worry, Clumsy." She pulls him up from the ground, though he stumbles once more. She plants a small kiss on his cheek for reassurance. "You've still been a big help today. We'll get them cleaned up!"

He flushes and brings his hands to his face, convinced already.

"Gosh..."

An emotion swells in Brainy's chest.

Very unwanted, but one he couldn't ignore --

An intense and unexpected sensation of _she can't do that, how can she do that?_ and it _burns._ His fists clench without realizing.

Smurfette brings the toys onto the bed while Clumsy helps her. The pile builds in the middle, and Baby fiddles with them in his tiny baby hands. A book is set in his lap so he can stack his blocks.

Behind the three, Brainy fumes in silence. Smurfette's hand rests on Clumsy's arm.He can't shake the feeling.

He clears his throat.

"Oh, Brainy, you can play too,” she says.

Baby's blocks come together like little pieces of a puzzle.

"No, _no_ , you and Clumsy can take care of Baby! You wanted to help, after all."

His tone is sarcastic and bitter – almost confusing, in comparison to his words.

"But earlier you wanted me to stop helping..."

"Please, I insist! Instead, why don't you ask Papa Smurf if he can change the schedule entirely? Since you seem to like _him_ so much."

Baby's tower grows and grows.

Part of her feels like Brainy was referring to Baby, but another part feels like he was referring to Clumsy.

"In fact, I'll do nothing at all! I get it! You and your best _friend_  have it covered!"

Baby's tower crashes onto the floor, breaking into the building blocks again.

"Brainy, can I speak to you outside for a moment?"

 

"What's gotten into you?" Smurfette pushes him outside. Her hands rest on her hips.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can tell something is wrong. Is it something I did?"

"And _why_  should I tell _you?"_

"Brainy, please -- we're not going to get anywhere if you keep this up!"

He remains quiet. She softens her scolding gaze. Smurfette didn't want to yell at her friend, but she wonders whatever it is that went on in that head of his that made him so stubborn. For someone who complains as much as he does, you'd think he'd open up about his feelings more. 

"Talking about things helps. It really does."

He groans.

He might as well get it over with, instead of sulking in his own worry. At least he'd know, whatever the answer was. 

"I-I just... I just feel like I've been reduced to the third wheel!"

Smurfette watches him tremble, not quite sure what to think. Maybe she was relying a bit on Clumsy, but was it really so bad?

The way Brainy speaks about it makes her feel like that's not completely what he means.

"Smurfette, y-you don't..." he stammers, then pauses. His cheeks are dusted with blush. "You don't _like_  Clumsy, do you?"

"...Of course I like Clumsy, he's my friend as he is yours," she answers softly.

Brainy stares at her.

"Oh! Oh, you mean..." She shakes her head. "Brainy, you know I don't like you boys like that. I was only trying to reassure him, I do that with just about every smurf. I can give you a kiss too if it makes you feel any better--"

"What? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Was it not the kiss...?"

"I'll say it wasn't, if that's what it takes to end this awful conversation," he moans.

She could feel how reluctant he was to talk about this, like it was the worst subject in the world, all by his expression alone. It was if he was in some kind of crisis with his own self. Brainy didn't get it either.

Smurfette grips the doorknob. "I'm your friend too, Brainy,” she reminds him.

They spat often, even more than him and Clumsy did. It was just how their personalities matched up.

But, she cares. Smurfette cares about everyone much more than any of them would ever know. He considered it a strength, compared to his own low empathy. She was a good friend to have, and one of the only ones he had.

He watches her turn it.

"Clumsy is my friend, but you, Brainy Smurf, mean the world to him, you know."

 

 

He walks back with Clumsy after dark, through the village in the night.

Fortunately, the moon lit up the sky enough for them to see more and two feet in front of them. They didn't plan to stay so long at Smurfette's, but after getting Baby finally asleep, Brainy felt a little better.

Perhaps he was overreacting a bit, he considers.

Why did he care so much, anyway?

He shouldn't have.

It… wasn't his business.

Besides -- Smurfette liked girls. It shouldn't have been something that ran through his mind, crushing him to pieces over a single little instance. He couldn't comprehend it, the trembling fury in his gut, how much he wanted the attention of Clumsy even if it seemed to go against so many things he's told himself.

Maybe because in a lot of cases, Clumsy was the only one willing to give it to him.

The grass is cold against their feet.

“Brainy, what did Smurfette drag ya out for earlier?”

“It's—nothing, Clumsy. Don't worry about it.”

They walk the rest of the way in silence, until reaching the entrance of Brainy's house. They exchange regular goodnights, but he doesn't go inside.

A few seconds pass, then Clumsy kisses his cheek and walks home.

 


	6. Chapter 6

*

Word after word, Brainy scribbles onto the page. He stares at it, unsatisfied.

Something that had noticeably changed was his ability to write his oh-so-beloved quotes and other wisdoms. He tries, over and over, but to no avail. It was much unlike before, where he would scribble just about anything down and decide it needed no further revision; going through the books like mad and always pushing out a new volume that no one but Clumsy would read.

The garbage can beside his desk was full, overflowing with crumpled paper. Maybe he'd ask Poet if it was a simple case of writer's block.

  
For a bit, he'd been borrowing plenty more of Papa's books to refill his library, even attempting to do his own research and notes on thing, some sort of substitute for this creative low. Something had to be there, something he had to carry around or quote from. His fellow smurfs seemed to prefer this a bit more.

Almost.

Maybe it wasn't warranted to spout about how odd human economy was during morning chores.

Still, it seems, he couldn't quite grasp social cues.

  
He closes his book and walks to the window.

"What a storm... I don't think it's going to let up any time soon."

He double checks the shutter, making sure it's holding. The rain pounds at the glass, taking no mercy when a few drops fall from the ceiling.

On the floor, Clumsy leans back on his hands. "Uh, how long has it been again?"

"A few hours."

"Gosh." He tilts his head. "At least it's you I'm stuck here with!"

Brainy rustles through the pantry. "Clumsy, you could be lost alone in a desert and still find something good about it," he remarks. He grips a pot in his hand. "...How _do_ you do it?"

"Uh, do what?"

"Stay so positive." Brainy places it under the leak, scowling up as the water drips. He mutters something about how he'd fix it himself later.

Clumsy thinks for a moment. "Well, uh. I don't really know myself."

"It must be why you have so many friends..." He motions near Clumsy. "While you're over there, could you pick up the books?"

"Oh, sure!"

Brainy continues to himself. "I mean, is that it? Attitude? I should be writing this stuff down!"

"I think you've been doin' pretty good, Brainy," Clumsy replies. He stacks a few books on top of each other, lining them up. "Boy, whenever you've been with me you've sure been happy!"

Come to think of it, a few smurfs earlier that morning waved to him, and they _never_ wave to Brainy. And maybe that was true. He'd felt especially drawn to his friend lately.

He pushes it aside.

Clumsy changes the subject, observing what he held in his hands. "Golly, Brainy, are all these books new? There's a whole lot'a them. An' they're not your quotes like they usually are."

Brainy doesn't reply. Was it so wrong to not admit he was having trouble? Writing wasn't Clumsy's thing, anyway.

"Ah, that's alright. 'Cus ya already gave me the best one," he giggles.

He's given a puzzled look.

"...What do you mean?"

"Don'tcha remember? Heh, it was real nice'a you to do it for me..." Books in arms, he wobbles over to the shelf, trying his best not to spill them.

"Clumsy, I can't read your mind. I've given you a few, haven't I?"

"Hold on, first I gotta, uh--" He pauses, losing his balance. "Woah!"

Brainy holds up the other side of the books so Clumsy can steady himself.

He peeks over the top of them, giggling. "Uh, thanks." He sets them on the ground, Brainy kneeling down to help him.

"Uh, it went somethin' like..." He places a book onto the shelf. "It's easy to pretend we are strong, it's much harder to admit when we're weak..."

A bit of adrenaline rushes through Brainy.

"...A-a true friend, by loving every part of us, teaches us to love our weaknesses!" he rasps, finishing the quote for him.  
  
"Uh, yeah! That was it!"

"Oh, Clumsy..." Brainy puts another book into its place. "How could I forget? Don't tell me you really still have that old thing?"

It was, to say the least, a little embarrassing. That day was rather emotional -- the whole few days were. He'd ended up writing something so poetic to show his appreciation, and without his glasses, too. He'd not only offered that one, but for Clumsy to take all of them in a rush of affection.

"Gosh, why wouldn't I? It means a lot to me."

"I-I guess it was pretty good, huh..." His grin is a little bittersweet.

 

 

Brainy leans his back to the wall after they'd finished putting the books away, followed by Clumsy. Despite his friend's praise, he felt down. They'd been stuck in the dark little home all day.

Not to mention, rainy days always brought some sorrow with them.

Clumsy takes notice. "Gosh, you okay, Brainy?"

He props his head against his hand. "I'm starting to think not every smurf is ever going to like me..."

"Brainy?"

"I suppose more of them are tolerating me, but that's because Papa Smurf made them. How much of it is actually out of their own free will?" He shakes his head. "I mean, what's the point in all of this...? I'm not working towards nothing, am I?"

Part of the revelation at the pool had hit a little too hard, he knew. 

"Uh, Brainy," he tries again, "I like you."

"I know _that,_ Clumsy."

"Gosh, I mean, I like ya a lot. More than I've ever liked anysmurf, or, even anythin' at all..." Clumsy admits. He looks away. "I, uh, maybe ya shouldn't be doin' all this so everysmurf will like you, an' instead 'cus ya wanna see yourself get better."

Brainy ponders his response.

A sigh.

"How can you like me so much, after everything...? I know I haven't treated you the best sometimes, even now, and... and you still always look at me like I'd never done you wrong!"

Clumsy's soft smile fills him with a bit of hope.

"I know you're really tryin'. An' ya don't gotta be perfect to be a good friend, Brainy."

"I... hope I can be at least that, then..."

Clumsy wraps his arms around him.

Brainy can't pin down why, but it was more than okay. He slouches into it, finding his own hands resting on Clumsy's sides. 

The memory of Clumsy cuddled up against him resurfaces. How the gentle beating of Clumsy's heart and the absence of loneliness had lulled him to sleep that night... it was so sudden, but he found comfort in it more than he wanted to admit.

The closeness in their embrace and solitary brings a soft blush to his face.

The arms around him tighten, and it's harder to breathe.

"C-Clumsy, that's a little... too..."

His friend loosens his hold, and his hands now rest on Brainy's shoulders.

"Uh, sorry, ya just got real warm--"

"W-wait, what?" Brainy inturrupts. "Oh, who am I smurfing... I can feel how hot my face is right now... how embarrassing."

"Aw, it's not embarrassin', it's..."

He blinks. "It's... what?"

"You're, ah..."

Another pause.

"Cute..." Clumsy finishes.

"...Oh!" Blush continues to spread across Brainy's face. "W-well..."

While Clumsy was rather affectionate in general, he'd been even more so since their trip.

Brainy notices the hands still on his shoulders, and Clumsy's shy gaze, paired with tinted cheeks of his own. As per usual, his hat droops adorably over his eyes.

To say the least, it all did not help Brainy's condition, and only fills his head with thoughts he'd never expected to think about his friend.

"I-I... I feel really weird all of a sudden..." Brainy lets out a nervous chuckle. "I don't... I wonder if I'm dying."

Clumsy's eyes widen. "Uh, gosh! I hope not. I can, uh, let go if that's what's wrong..."

"Oh, Clumsy... Not in the slightest."

"What d'ya think it is?"

"...I'm a very happy smurf, is all."

"Oh," Clumsy says. He seems relieved. "I'm glad I could make ya happy, then."

"M-me too, Clumsy... me too."

He presses his forehead against Brainy's.

 


	7. Chapter 7

*

At first he'd thought about asking Papa Smurf to rearrange the teams this year.

Though, as he let the smurfs pick their own smurfball teams again, they ended up the same -- once again, Brainy was stuck with Farmer and Clumsy.

He remembered how bad it was last time. Avoiding the problem hadn't been working. Hurting a friendship, though temporarily, hadn't been working.

 

"A little to the left, Clumsy."

His friend lifts his leg back for a kick, before setting it back down.

"There's no one around, you can mess up all you'd like!" Brainy reminds him.

After being here a while, it was a miracle Clumsy hadn't already worn himself out -- or, worn Brainy out, for that matter. He restrains his frustration in hopes that his friend would improve. It was under his training, so he had no doubt in his mind.

"I'll get it this time!"

Clumsy tries again, but misses completely, wobbling over onto the grass. He looks up at Brainy.

"Uh, d'ya think you could show me again?"

"Alright, but watch _closely_ as a professional does it. If you follow my example, you'll be as good as I am in no time! Here's a move I've been working on."

Brainy positions himself the same, making the exact same mistake as Clumsy and wobbling over onto the grass.

"But... gosh, Brainy! I already know that one!"

 

 

"Alright, let's try your cross-country… surely that won't be so hard."

Clumsy opens his mouth to speak.

"Before you ask, _no,_ you will not be running the length of the entire country. To the end of the field and back should be a fine measure of your abilities."

He lines him up at the starting line, and Clumsy begins to sprint on the count of three.

As his friend expected, he soon begins to run out of stamina, but pushes himself as much as he can. He collapses by the time he gets back, out of breath and wheezing.

Brainy hands him a bottle of water and helps him to his feet.

"Clumsy, I think you might be overdoing it a little..."

The determination in Clumsy's eyes says otherwise.

"Gosh, no I'm not, Brainy, " he pauses for a breath, "I promise, I'm... I'm gonna win if it's the last thing I do!"

   
*

  
Clumsy feels the footsteps of every other smurf around him, but not any more than the beating of his own heart.

The anxiety is sickening, so far into the game, but their preparation was proving worthy.

The play-offs.

With the scores neck and neck, no less.

Brainy kicks the smurfball to Farmer, putting his trust into the hard-working smurf. Farmer makes a path on his own when Brainy runs closer to the opposing goal, waiting for it's return.

Clumsy figures Brainy wanted him to stay a bit out of the way this time. He could admit his coordination wasn't the best, despite what practice did for him. Sometimes he wishes there were more than three smurfs a team -- If you couldn't fall back on both your teammates, you might as well be done.

Handy blocks the yokel's path, attempting to get the ball. He glares at his opponent.

The quarrel leaves it open to Smurfette, who easily kicks it to her other teammate, Greedy, and Brainy quietly rejoices. The chef regains his energy with a snack, and as always, misses his cue.

Clumsy wonders how bad he could possibly have been, when Smurfette's team had won last year with someone as distracted as Greedy on it.

Brainy regains the ball. Clumsy can barely hear Jokey's announcement of the time. Thirty seconds to lose, or thirty seconds to win.

He dawdles on the opposite side of the field, relative distance from the goal -- in place. Like Brainy had taught him. From there, he waves to his friend. Not completely focused, but not lost, either. His attention throughout the game was something more, remembering not to just rush up to Brainy and end up with them both in a pile on the ground.

Still, Brainy's next action catches everyone, including Clumsy, off guard --

He hears running behind him, and swiftly passes the ball to Clumsy.

There's no time to struggle to understand why _Brainy would possibly pass it to him, was he not the downfall of their team?_  or _ho_ w _they'd even make it so far once, let alone twice?_

When it comes to him, Clumsy kicks as hard as he can. Silence, as the crowd watches.

He'd fallen --

But, kicked the ball hard and fast enough as he did it that it hit off the side of Handy's head and into the goal, scoring them the final point they'd needed.  
  
Jokey's present explodes.

"Tiiiime's up!"

The realization hits them both.

"We won," Brainy exclaims, a bit in disbelief. "We won!"

Clumsy rushes up to him, and he's not given another second before he's nearly tackled into a hug.

"We did it, Brainy, we won!" he cries, nuzzling his face against his friend's. "Gosh, an' it's all 'cus ya helped me! I can't believe it!"

He tenses up at the sudden affection, but is too happy to care. He hugs the ecstatic smurf back. "Me neither, Clumsy -- oh, just, just wait until we beat Hefty's team! That'll be something!"

Clumsy's tail is wagging.

"Boy, it sure will! Oh, gosh!"

The crowd around them is still in shock, but curious nonetheless as to how the final games would play out. They surround the middle of the field to congratulate everyone.

Never had Brainy's team gotten so far.

"Uh... good game, you guys," Greedy says. He rubs the back of his neck. "I'm a bit surprised myself you beat us." 

Smurfette shakes their hands. "Yes, good game!"

"Gosh, you're not mad about us winnin'?" Clumsy asks.

Smurfette smiles. "Not at all! Honestly, I think you deserve it. I know how hard you've both been smurfing."

Brainy recalls her watching them closely as nights ago as they'd wandered off at sundown to practice. Clumsy preferred then, while no one else was around, even if the late Autumn evenings were chilly. If it helped him concentrate, Brainy obliged.

"Well, it's nice to see you all being _such_ good sports about our inevitable win," Brainy says. 

"Erm, I don't think I can say the same for Handy," Greedy mentions.

He points to the mechanic. He's arguing with Farmer about how that point shouldn't have counted because the ball had hit him, and Farmer seems about ready to hit him with something else.

"If you ask me, that's his own problem. I'm just glad we won't be on the preparation committee for once! It was about time. Right, Clumsy?"

"Right!"

"Good luck on the championship," Smurfette says. "You'll need it."

 

 

"D'ya really think we can?"

"Can what?"

"Win the championship."

"Don't be silly, Clumsy," Brainy says. He takes a sip of his lemonade. "There's no way we can possibly lose! We've been practicing for who knows how long, _and_ you have me on your team -- and, um, Farmer."

"Golly, I guess so."

He fiddles with his own lemonade in hand, swirling it around in its glass.

"Oh, I see. You're nervous!"

A pause.

"Gosh, uh... a little bit."

Clumsy brings his attention to the stream in front of them. He tosses a small pebble in, watching it sink to the bottom and settle.

"What if I mess up again? I already tripped an' fell scorin' that point earlier. I don't wanna ruin it when we've got so far..."

Brainy leans back on the log. "Clumsy, think of this way. If you could win the Smurfic Games, _and_ the play-offs, I think a little smurfball championship should be nothing for us."

He wonders what gave Brainy his energy back so soon.

Even after a hard fall, he'd get back up, and Clumsy had plenty of hard falls. The trip to the Intrapool, some time ago now, did something to Brainy. Whatever it was.

Clumsy tended to notice it a bit easier than the other smurfs. To them, he was a bit more mellowed out, but still rambling on about everything.

But, that's just something Brainy does.

Talk.

And sometimes listening to him talk about whatever by his side was comforting. 

Unfortunately, even Clumsy knew not many others would think the same. Brainy had realized that long ago. Maybe it was one of the reasons he'd ended up so close to him.

Clumsy appreciates his effort, giving him an easy smile, and the intellectual can't help but smile with him. 

Brainy chuckles. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Clumsy only scoots closer and sets a free hand atop his, eventually intertwining their fingers. He doesn't say anything, nor does Brainy, who pretends not to notice by sipping at his drink.

Really, he wouldn't have it any other way. The sound of the stream is a soothing one.

A light sigh.

Clumsy suddenly remembers.

"Hefty asked me to go an' help him earlier... I guess I should be gettin' to that," he says, breaking the silence. Brainy looks surprised at his sudden announcement.

"Oh,” Brainy replies, "very well..."

Clumsy can hear the disappointment in his tone, and doesn't want to leave. Even just to keep him company. Letting go of Brainy's hand feels a little too difficult.

He walks a few steps.

"Uh, Brainy?"

His friend turns.

“Uh," Clumsy says. “I love ya, is all."

"I--"

Brainy stops for a moment, eyes wide.

His hold on the lemonade tightens as it threatens to spill, and nothing could have prepared Clumsy for hearing him fumble and say --

"I... I, um, l-love you too... Clumsy..."

 

However he meant it, it was enough.

 


End file.
